Shopping for dog grooming supplies can turn out to be a confusing experience especially for new pet owners or if you are a new dog groomer. You’ve probably seen, heard or read about so many products and dog grooming tools that are considered ‘must haves’ but the truth is that there are just few basic tools you need to have to groom your dog especially since you are not a professional dog groomer. These are some of the basic dog grooming accessories you need for your own regular D.I.Y dog grooming-:

Brushes-: You will need two types of brushes for your dog; a toothbrush and a hair brush. Brushing your dog’s teeth regularly would give him a fresh breath and prevent tooth decay which can be fatal and lead to eventual death of the dog if not properly managed. You must be careful when choosing a toothbrush for your dog. You should choose something that would do the job perfectly but won’t hurt your dog’s gums. You would also need a hair brush to brush your dog’s fur regularly. Brushing your dog’s fur regularly would stimulate the production of natural oils that would help to prevent the dog’s skin from drying. You would also be able to notice anything unusual on your dog’s skin such as parasites or lumps and you will be able to tackle the issue immediately. When choosing a skin brush for your dog, make sure you choose one that would suit the texture of your dog’s coat and one that your dog would enjoy.

Dog Shampoo-: You would also need a dog shampoo. The keyword here is DOG shampoo. I have seen so many people use their own human shampoos on their dogs and this is totally wrong. Human shampoo doesn’t contain the right balance of ingredients suitable for dogs and generally has a higher P.H value. The right P.H value for your dog shampoo is 7. You can look out for this on the label of the shampoo before buying it. Another thing to be wary of when choosing your dog shampoo is the ingredients in the shampoo. Shampoos with organic and natural ingredients are safer and better recommended for your pets.

Nail Trimmers-: Not trimming your dog’s toe nails might be very harmful and lead to painful injuries. Therefore, it is very important to trim your dog’s nails regularly. However, trimming your dog’s nails can be very tricky and you have to be careful so that you do not cut of his vein which is why you have to choose the right nail trimmer for your dog.

Styptic Powder-: Dogs can be very restless especially during a grooming session and sometimes, injuries occur as a result of this. Styptic powder is a must have because it helps to stop the bleeding whenever there is any injury. It is also useful whenever there is any injury as a result of a general accident.

Ear Cleaning Solution-: You don’t want your dog down with ear infections so you have to make sure you clean its ears regularly. Regular cleaning of your dog’s ears would also help to prevent unpleasant odors produced by dirty ears. It is recommended that you clean your dog’s ears at least once in a week with a good ear cleansing solution. You should get some cotton wool to wipe away the loosed dirt.

Dog Towels-: You would also need a towel to dry up your pet after a good wash.

Flea and Tick Control-: Fleas and ticks on your dog’s skin are not only irritating; they can lead to a number of health problems for your pet if not eliminated quickly. You’ll need to get a flea and tick control product. Some of them come as sprays while some come in form of creams or oils. The most important thing is to choose a product that is safe for your pet and won’t harm his skin.

Snacks and Dog Treats-: Yes, this is also important. If you want your dog to be relaxed and allow a stress-free grooming session, you should be armed with some treats and snacks that he can munch on while the grooming session is going on. One dog grooming trick that works is to reward your pet with plenty of treats after each grooming session. This would make him more co-operative whenever you want to groom him because he knows that after the discomfort, comes the treats.

You will find all of these products available either on online shopping or your nearby store.

If you must keep a dog as a pet, then you must be prepared for dog grooming either personally or professionally. The difference between that smelly, dirty dog that no one wants to touch and that pretty-looking, sweet-smelling dog that you can’t wait to show off any chance you get is proper grooming.

Grooming not only keeps your dog looking good. It also makes your dog healthy and keeps diseases and germs away. However, there are some things you should never do and some products you should try to avoid as much as possible when grooming your pet dog. As a Professional dog groomer area I personally avoid using these products and practices and advice you to do so too!

Unsafe Dog Grooming Products

DE shedding Shampoos-: Yea, I know dog shedding can be very annoying because you have to clean up all the mess which is why you had to resort to using de shedding shampoos to reduce the rate at which your dog sheds its fur. But at what cost to your dog’s health? You should be aware that de shedding shampoos sometimes contain some harmful ingredients which may not be too good for your pet such as glycolic and alpha hydroxyl acids. It is therefore recommended that you stick to alternative methods of reducing shedding such as bathing the dog regularly and regular consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This would do the trick and reduce shedding naturally without jeopardizing your dog’s health.

Dog Bathing Shampoos-: Ok, so you found this attractively packaged shampoo at the pet supply store and you’re like ‘oh, this smells nice, I’m so buying this”, but have you checked the ingredients to find out what’s really in there? Dog shampoos can be more dangerous than you think especially if they don’t contain the right mix of ingredients. Even some of the “natural” shampoos are not all that natural. When shopping for a shampoo for your dog, make sure you stick with natural, organic products. Look through the ingredients and make sure you are familiar with them. If there’s any ingredient that looks like something you can’t pronounce or recognize, please stay away from it. The ingredients in your dog shampoo should be things that you can easily find and mix in your kitchen.

Depilatories-: Yes, I know that it’s essential for you to clean your dog’s ears and remove ear hair but seriously, hair removal cream? Using hair removal cream for your dog’s ears is a huge no-no. Hair removal creams contain sodium hydroxide which may irritate your dog’s ears and cause other diseases. It’s safer to stick to the good old method of ear plucking.

Unsafe Dog Grooming Practices

Dog Tattoos-: I’m totally cool with tattooing your face on your dog’s body and I have nothing against getting identical tattoos with your pet. However, tattooing your pet must be done with caution. As a human, if you’ve ever gotten a tattoo done, you’ll know how painful and torturing the process is. Subjecting your dog to that kind of torture is totally unnecessary especially since there are no direct benefits to the dog. There’s really no point exposing your pet to tattoo-related infections too.

Re-circulating your dog’s bathing water-: Recirculating your dog’s bathing water is just like bathing your dog with dirty water. It is recommended that you bathe your dog with fresh water and whenever you’re bathing him, make sure you rinse him off thoroughly so that there are no residual shampoos left on the dog’s skin.

Getting stoned around your dog-: While smoking or drinking alcohol around your dog might not be directly harmful to the dog, it might be eventually harmful to the dog. I read a story on the internet some months ago about a guy who got so high that he decided to take his girlfriend’s dog to hang out on the top of the roof. Well, the poor dog fell off the roof and had to be euthanized. Dogs might be big but they are still delicate little animals which have to be carefully taken care of and this is best done when you are in your right senses.

Dog owners need to choose the right grooming supplies which are necessary in order to keep up with the correct dog grooming needs. The basic needs of a dog include the maintenance of ears, coat and nails. The right supplies and equipments should be chosen in order to maintain the grooming of dogs. Professional dog groomers like Dog Grooming Chicago uses these tool on daily basis.

Brushes and Combs

Dogs are of different species thus they have different hair types. Therefore, there are various brushes and combs and each comb suit a specific type of coat. Dog owners therefore should ensure they have some knowledge on the types of brushes and what type of hair they are supposed to comb. Some dogs require to be combed by two or more brushes so as to get a smooth coat with well combed hair. Here are the various types of brushes that exists

Flea combs- they are used in the detection of fleas

Bristle brushes- they are universal brushes since they are ideal for all hair types. The bristle brushes have different designs and they vary from long to short while others are firm and soft. When choosing this you should make sure that it will do a good job to the dog’s coat.

Wire pin brushes- this brushes are ideal for long haired dogs as well as the medium haired dogs. They leave the dog’s hair smoother and neat.

Slicker Brushes- remember that dogs hair is prone to tangling but with the help of the slicker brushes, it is possible to break up the tangles and mats which tend to occur in the long and medium haired dogs.

Rakes and mat breakers- these are brushes that are used when breaking severe tangles and mats.

Dog Shampoos

Did you know that bathing your dog with the wrong shampoo is bad? Dogs should be bathed using soap free shampoos which are intended for dogs only. Conditioners and shampoos are usually sold at a relatively cheap price thus they are affordable to every dog owner. Below is a list of the recommended shampoos to use when grooming your dog

Oatmeal shampoos- commonly design to be used as a soother especially when the dog has an irritating skin. This reduces the itching significantly.

Natural shampoos- these are the best shampoos t use on the dogs’ coats. They are free of chemicals and in most cases they contain herbs which are meant of improving the dogs’ coats and skins.

Conditioners- these are used after the shampoo, it works by keeping the dogs hair in a moist condition, tangle and mat free. Conditioners are designed differently since some should be rinsed off while others are left to stay on the coat.

Tear free shampoo- these types of shampoos are used to protect the dog’s eyes.

Keeping The Dog’s Ears Clean

Just as human beings clean their ears, it is necessary to keep the dog’s ears clean to prevent diseases and also to keep the dogs happy. Dog owners should have some skills and knowledge especially when cleaning the ears of their dogs. Here are some of the supplies that are used when cleaning the ears.

Ear cleansers- they are used to assist in the rinsing and cleaning of the ear canals

Hemostats- used in reducing the excess hair that is found in the dogs ears. This needs some training or else the task should be done by dog attenders or vets

Ear powder- helps in drying the ear canal of dogs to prepare them for the hair plucking process.

Cotton pads= they are mainly used to wipe out the dirt from the ears. This is mainly done after cleanser is applied in the ears.

Nail trimmers

Nail trimming can be the hardest task for dog owners but use of the right tools can be used to ease this task. Some of the tools that work best when trimming nails include the claw style trimmers, styptic powder, filing tools, scissor- like trimmers and the guillotine trimmers. The styptic powder is mainly used to stop bleeding in case one accidentally cuts the skin of the dog. Filling tools should be used every time when the nails are trimmed so as to result to a smooth edge nail. The pedicure grooming tools is universal since it works on all the nail types.